Kopecky wins inaugural Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana Feminas
Lotto Soudal rider beats Alice Barnes in sprint
Lotte Kopecky (Lotto Soudal Ladies) got her season off to a winning start with victory in the inaugural edition of the Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana Feminas. The multi-discipline rider took a clear victory in the sprint finish, beating Canyon-SRAM’s Alice Barnes by almost a bike's length, with Kopecky's teammate Thi That Nguyen taking third.
Kopecky has been working hard on the track over the winter months, winning the Madison event with Jolien D’hoore at the penultimate round in Cambridge, New Zealand, and finishing second in the event in Hong Kong last month. Her main focus is the Track World Championships in Poland in March, but her track form has clearly transferred to the road.
Three years after reviving the men’s stage, organisers introduced a one-day women’s race to take place ahead of the final stage of the men’s event. Many of the top teams will not be starting their European season until the separately organised Setmana Valenciana stage race later this month, but the event still attracted some big hitters, including home team Movistar, Canyon-SRAM, Lotto Soudal and Bigla Pro Cycling.
The close to pan-flat 88.5km course, which would be the same for the men later in the day, took the riders from Paterna on the North West of Valencia, away from the city before returning for four laps around Valencia itself.
With the parcours, a sprint finished seemed a formality and the major teams looked to control the racing. On home roads, it was Movistar that did much of the work, with assistance from Lotto Soudal. There were some attempts at getting away, but nothing came to fruition. The one major mid-race skirmish was for the intermediate sprint with Ale Cipollini’s Jelena Eric taking the full points ahead of Silvia Zanardi.
Ultimately, the predicted sprint finish came with Kopecky converting her track form into a victory on the road, the first for the Lotto Soudal team this season.
Cyclingnews is proud to introduce the first episode of our Cyclingnews Podcast Women's Edition, brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello and Floyd's of Leadville.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies | 2:08:19 |
2 | Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Thi That Nguyen (Vie) Lotto Soudal Ladies | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Anna Trevisi (Ita) Ale Cipollini | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Roxane Fournier (Fra) Movistar Team Women | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Claudia Koster (Ned) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Sara Mustonen (Swe) Health Mate-Ladies Team | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Rachele Barbieri (Ita) BePink | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Maria Vittoria Sperotto (Ita) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Maria Martins (Por) Sopela Women's Team | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Agnieta Francke (Ned) Belori Womens Team | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Lara Vieceli (Ita) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Sandra Alonso Dominguez (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Jelena Eric (Srb) Ale Cipollini | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) Ale Cipollini | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Soraya Paladin (Ita) Ale Cipollini | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Nicola Juniper (GBr) Mexx Watersley Womens Cycling Team | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Kylie Waterreus (Ned) Health Mate-Ladies Team | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Gladys Verhulst (Fra) Charente-Maritime Women | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Ella Harris (NZl) Canyon-SRAM | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Dalia Muccioli (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Hannah Ludwig (Ger) Canyon-SRAM | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Nerea Nuno Inglesias (Spa) Rio Miera | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-SRAM | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Katia Ragusa (Ita) BePink | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Lucie Lahaye (Fra) Charente-Maritime Women | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Annelies Dom (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Alana Castrique (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Leah Thomas (USA) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | GAFINOVITZ ROTEM | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Elise Chabbey (Swi) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
36 | Ainara Elbusto Arteaga (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
37 | Sandra Dos Santos (Por) Eneicue Cycling Team | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
38 | Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Aida Nuno Palaco (Spa) Rio Miera | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Lourdes Oyarbide Jimenez (Spa) Movistar Team Women | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
41 | Corinna Lechner (Ger) Mexx-Watersley Womens Cycling Team | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Diana Carolina Pe–uela Martinez (Col) Ale Cipollini | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Fien Delbaere (Bel) Health Mate-Ladies Team | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | Desiree Ehrler (Swi) Mexx-Wattersley Womens Cycling Team | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Sarah Rijkes (Aut) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | Tanja Erath (Ger) Canyon-SRAM | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
48 | Silvia Pollicini (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Natalie Grinczer (GBr) Bizkaia-Durango | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin (Can) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
51 | Sandra Trevilla (Spa) Rio Miera | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | Teresa Ripoll Sabate (Spa) Tactic Women Team | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Anais Morichon (Fra) Charente-Maritime Women | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
54 | Irene Mendes Melgarejo (Spa) Rio Miera | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Alessia Bulerri (Ita) Eneicue Cycling Team | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Esther Meisels (Isr) Health Mate-Ladies Team | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
57 | Tereza Medvedova (Svk) BePink | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
58 | Clara Koppenburg (Ger) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
59 | Nicole Hanselmann (Swi) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
60 | Lija Laizane (Lat) Eneicue Cycling Team | Row 59 - Cell 2 |
61 | Cristina Martinez Bonafe (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango | Row 60 - Cell 2 |
62 | Christina Perchtold (Aut) Health Mate-Ladies Team | Row 61 - Cell 2 |
63 | Silvia Zanardi (Ita) BePink | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
64 | Ariadna Trias Jordan (Spa) Sopela Women's Team | 0:00:13 |
65 | Giorgia Bariani (Ita) Ale Cipollini | Row 64 - Cell 2 |
66 | Mireia Trias Jordan (Spa) Sopela Women's Team | Row 65 - Cell 2 |
67 | Noemie Abgrall (Fra) Maritime Women Cycling | Row 66 - Cell 2 |
68 | Lisa Groothuesheidkamp (Ned) Mexx-Watersley Womens Cycling Team | Row 67 - Cell 2 |
69 | Alba Teruel Ribes (Spa) Movistar Team Women | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
70 | Sandra Moral Ventosinos (Spa) Tactic Women Team | Row 69 - Cell 2 |
71 | Andrea Fraile Mas (Spa) Eneicue Cycling Team | Row 70 - Cell 2 |
72 | Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling | Row 71 - Cell 2 |
73 | Noemi Ferre Fernandez (Spa) Tactic Women Team | Row 72 - Cell 2 |
74 | Chantal Hoffmann (Lux) Lotto Soudal Ladies | Row 73 - Cell 2 |
75 | Mireia Benito Pellicer (Spa) Tactic Women Team | Row 74 - Cell 2 |
76 | Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Movistar Team Women | Row 75 - Cell 2 |
77 | Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) BePink | 0:00:18 |
78 | Chiara Perini (Ita) BePink | Row 77 - Cell 2 |
79 | Ziortza Isasi Cristobal (Spa) Eneicue Cycling Team | 0:00:20 |
80 | Alessia Vigilia (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling | 0:00:54 |
81 | Paula Sanmartin Rodriguez (Spa) Eneicue Cycling Team | 0:01:33 |
82 | Jeniffer Alejandra Puentes Barragan (Col) Aleata-CC Farto | 0:01:39 |
83 | Manon Minaud (Fra) Charente-Maritime Women | 0:02:23 |
84 | Sara Martin (Spa) Sopela Womens Team | 0:02:34 |
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